Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Happy and Fortunate

January 5

Daily Bible Reading: Matthew 5:1 – 26

Verse of the Day: Matthew 5:1 – 3 – “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain: and when he had sat down, his disciples came unto him: and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Blessed – the word makários in the Greek means happy or fortunate. It used about 50 times in the New Testament to describe the kind of happiness that comes from having God’s favor.

In the Beatitudes, Jesus uses it nine times. I get the feeling that He is trying to teach us something. We can have true happiness by living in the favor of God, and He outlines different elements of life that will produce this.

Take some time today to review the Beatitudes (and the Sermon on the Mount) to re-discover how to have Divine Favor and inner happiness.

Prayer: Father, I desire to have this inner happiness that only comes from You. Amen.

Bible Gateway Scripture

Dr. Thomas & Linda Marshall

Doc is a Minister living in Laurinburg, NC. He has been a Senior Pastor, educator, and writer. He is presently an Editor for Christian Publishing House in Ohio, and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Education at Liberty University Online.

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Order your copy of Basics of Biblical Criticism: Helpful or Harmful [Second Edition] with a chapter (Chapter 5: Rhetorical Criticism) by Dr. Thomas F. Marshall from Christian Publishing House. http://www.christianpublishers.org/apps/webstore/products/show/5346435Also available through from your local book distributor, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Barnes and Noble, and other on-line websites.